Ideally, Kidd could have gotten some rest down the stretch. However, the Mavs don’t have that luxury while battling for a playoff spot. Carlisle will carefully manage Kidd’s minutes in the upcoming stretch of seven games in 10 nights, but the Mavs need their leader during crunch time.

Kidd feels as ready as he has all season.

“Overall, this is probably the best I’ve felt,” Kidd said. “Saying that, I just wanted to be aggressive, get the ball in the paint, make some things happen and get a win.”

The Mavs need the wins to keep coming. It’s sure help if their gray-haired point guard can continue resembling the Kidd from his golden-haired days.